Lollapalooza > 11 reasons to be AMPED

Lollapalooza 2011 > it's the 20th anniversary of the festival and Grant Park in Chicago will be the madness this weekend. Aside from my love for live music and in extreme variety such as this circus, I wanted to share some of the reasons why I've been so anxious to celebrate. A 'Top 10' seems too traditional though so, in no particular order, here's 11 reasons; that's one more than 10, like what Spinal Tap's amps go to.

Lollapalooza

Chicago is a great city > it's always a fun trip to the windy city. Good people. Good food. Good drinks. Good times! Add some musicus festivus into the mix and it's sure to be great. I can hardly keep up drinking in the midwest on a normal weekend getaway. I really hope I survive 5 days with this bunch.

Eminem on Saturday > the only time I've ever seen Em on stage was Warped '99 when the tour used to kick off in Phoenix. The Slim Shady LP had recently been released and Marshall Mathers' only claim to fame was a gimmicky 'My Name Is' track which I wasn't particularly fond of. For at least that show, he was plugged into the Warped lineup in place of Cypress Hill. It wasn't a pleasant surprise for nearly everyone at the show and when he got on stage with Proof he was welcomed with boos, negative chants, flying bottles and garbage. He earned my respect during 'Just Don't Give a Fuck' when he swatted an empty water bottle that came at him and flipped off the person he saw throw it, all without even missing a beat and spitting his filthy flow. The boos eventually softened and more and more heads nodded. A dozen years later Slim Shady is still one of my favorite hip-hop artists ever.

Beer > and lots of it. Cheers.

Crystal Castles on Friday > having frustratingly botched every opportunity to see them up close and personal over the past 3 years will make this Friday a very memorable first time. Finally.

Foo Fighters on Sunday > I'm a Foo virgin too and I'm really excited for Dave Grohl and company to take my v-card. I've waited everlong.

Flogging Molly on Sunday > most of the times I've seen this band play have been in Tempe or Mesa and on St. Patrick's Day. It'll be interesting to see them perform a daytime show as a non-headlining act and not in front of a sea of green beers. They put on a great show and something about their music turns everyone Irishly energetic.

Beating the heat > it's supposed to be 110 degrees in Phoenix this weekend and 81 in Chicago. This is definitely an edge Chicago will always have this time of year.

Deadmau5 on Sunday > not sure how this dude performs with that mau5 head on. I thought Daft Punk had some inconvenient performance garb but this technological mask takes it to a whole new level. I've been anxious to see Deadmau5 drop it since 2007 so I hope this rodent drops it hard.

Festival girls > I wish they all could be Lollapalooza girls. I love them. They are fun. They automatically earn a point for that shared love of music [I'll share what other attributes qualify for bonus points in another post sometime later].

Girl Talk on Friday > this guy's mixing style is nothing new but the level of intricacy he samples for mashing it up is unbelievably impressive. His show at Marquee in Tempe earlier this year probably makes my Top 5 in 2011 so far and I hope he outdoes himself tomorrow night. I just want to dance!

Being on the launchpad > there are a lot of artists I've always wanted to see do well and this may just be the stage that gives them the boost for some well deserved attention . To name a few: The Kills, Beirut, Arctic Monkeys, Lykke Li, Friendly Fires. Hopefully the opportunity to showcase how superb they are works out well for them. I got into The Naked and Famous and Foster the People recently too and I think their talent warrants some extra attention.

Hope to see you at Lolla! Holla if you see me. I'll be the dude with a lime green fanny pack dancing, Tweeting and double-fisting simultaneously.

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